Questions tagged [phd]
Questions about the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree, including requirements such as dissertations and university programs leading to a Ph.D.
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How are Ph.D. applications evaluated in the US, particularly for weak or borderline students? Am I likely to get into school X?
This is a special community wiki 'canonical' question that aggregates advice on a frequently-asked question. See this meta discussion. Please feel free to edit this question to improve it.
When ...
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How does the admissions process work for Ph.D. programs in Country X?
This is a special community wiki 'canonical' question that aggregates advice on a frequently-asked question. See this meta discussion. Please feel free to edit this question to improve it.
Please give ...
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Is doing two PhDs a good path?
I am studying a combined bachelor of engineering (electrical) and bachelor of mathematics; I just started this year and will graduate in 2018. The reason why I am doing double degrees and not a single ...
user12172
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How old is too old for a PhD?
Are there any age limits (formal, informal, or guidelines) that schools use when deciding to accept someone into a PhD program? I'm most curious about the upper age limits. For example, will most ...
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I've been admitted to multiple PhD programs, how should I choose between them?
I've been admitted to more than one PhD program, and I'm having a very hard time making a decision.
The programs I'm accepted to have advantages and disadvantages with respect to one another. How do I ...
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Rejecting a PhD offer after having accepted it. Advice?
I have accepted a PhD offer from a very good university to do a project very close to my interests. I have told the project supervisor I accept it. In the meanwhile I have managed to secure a PhD ...
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Is transferring to another university an option for an unhappy PhD student?
I've heard of people transferring between graduate schools because of their advisor moving to another school and taking their students with them.
Do students ever transfer for other reasons? If a ...
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What is a “sandwich thesis”?
On the Internet, I have found that some people have graduated with a PhD by means of a “sandwich thesis”. Could anyone explain what it is?
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Is it worth self-funding a PhD to attend a top 10 university?
What should I opt for?
Option A) very well paid PhD, around €3000 per month at a respectable university
or;
Option B) a non-paid PhD, where I have to pay €2000 per year at one of the top 10 ...
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How to contact professors for PhD vacancies?
I know many master's students who get an opportunity to talk to their potential PhD advisors well before applying. In most cases this opportunity is available by the professors with whom they worked ...
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With a background in mathematical finance and desire to apply for a mathematics PhD in another field, do I need a second master's?
Pardon the dumb question if ever. I notice similar questions all sound like "can I get a second master's?" but mine is "do I need?"
I am nearly finished with my master in mathematical finance. I have ...
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Prospective PhD contacts potential supervisor but receives no answer after 2-3 emails, what to do?
Say a prospective PhD has a high reply rate (90-95%) to first contact emails with potential superviors. He/She has a well thought out e-mail, but a particular professor (here: USA) that is in the top ...
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What ratio of PhD graduates in STEM fields ultimately end up as (tenured) professors?
I recently saw this infogram circling around various social networks:
It appeared in this Tweet with the following claim:
Got a PhD? Your chance of becoming a Professor is 0.45%. Good luck.
Being ...
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I want to do research but I'm too old for a PHD
I really love research. I started a research project in graduate school for my M.A. in English. My research topic is a very viable and interesting topic for a dissertation. I'll be 60 on my next ...
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How to avoid procrastination during the research phase of my PhD?
I just finished all of my coursework for my PhD program, and am entering the research phase of my degree with a topic already in mind. I've already started the research, but I'm already finding that ...
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PhD candidate vs PhD student
I see researchers working on their PhD calling themselves PhD Candidates, other call themselves PhD students. What's the difference between a PhD Candidate and a PhD Student?
According to two ...
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Is it appropriate to buy a "thank you" gift for a PhD supervisor?
I am nearing the end of my PhD and I would quite like to buy a "thank you" gift for my supervisor (although, she's the socially awkward type who I'm sure will be greatly embarrassed to receive one).
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When does one go for a double doctorate?
I would love to know the circumstances under which people opt for a second doctorate degree.
Could a professor working in a university write up a thesis and submit it to his department to earn a ...
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Are there any research careers except professorship for a person holding PhD in pure mathematics?
I'm interested in mathematical research, but want to know if there are good jobs besides being a professor. Are there any lucrative research-centric careers out there for someone with a PhD in pure ...
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What are the potential pitfalls of having a PhD?
This question follow's JeffE's comment here:
In most industries, a PhD has negative value.
I am curious about what potential negatives there may be with having a PhD, particularly in industries. ...
user7130
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Is a PhD right for you if you hate doing research in your free time but love doing it as a job?
Say for example you are a new PhD student and realize that you hate doing research in your free time but you are more than willing to spend several hours in the morning to do research. Was your ...
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Undergraduate research field different from PhD field
I am a Physics undergrad who is interested in pursuing a PhD in pure maths in the future (algebraic geometry/topology) but I am a bit unsure. My question is quite general, and I don't wish to provide ...
user2734
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Is it possible to work full time and complete a PhD?
Is it achievable to perform a doctorate while working in a private company (not in college) full time (8 hours per day, 5 days per week)? Or is it too much work or stress?
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How long before PhD graduation should I start applying for post-doc positions?
My earliest PhD graduation date is 10 months away. Funding permits me to stay 1–3 months longer, so the final date is still uncertain.
It is never too early to make contacts for possible post-docs. ...
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When can you call yourself doctor?
I just passed my dissertation defense. This means there is nothing left but paperwork to get my doctorate. Among the various congratulations I've received a couple have termed me: Dr. My assumption ...
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Details an applicant should include/exclude in an introductory letter to a prospective grad school adviser?
I'm applying for graduate school (PhD in computer science), and I'm considering writing to faculty whose research areas match with what I intend to pursue, to understand:
Whether they'd be looking ...
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What are the main differences between undergraduate, master's, and doctoral theses?
When I did my undergraduate thesis, my adviser was expected big on students expecting them working really hard, so it ended up as a reduced master's thesis (most of the reviewers said that it was an ...
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PhD in the US compared to Europe
I start my master studies this fall in quantitative finance/economics in Europe. Since this will just take 3-4 semesters I want to take a look ahead and obviously PhD is one option to do.
So I am ...
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Implications of being accepted without funding to a computer science PhD in the United States?
I was accepted into Ohio State University CS PhD without funding.
I have heard that people who can show their capability may get funding after getting into the program. Is this understanding correct? ...
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What questions should one ask to the former/current students of a professor before deciding whether to do PhD under him/her?
Before deciding to do one's PhD under a certain professor, what questions should one ask of his/her former and current students?
Many students (including me) are not sure what exactly to ask. May be ...
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Why are US PhDs different from European PhDs?
So apparently I heard from here, here and here about the differences in PhDs in the US and in Europe.
To sum up, it takes longer, on average, in the US than in Europe to finish a PhD since US PhD ...
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What does it mean if a professor asks you to draft his reference letter for you?
This question is, honestly speaking, probably somewhat opinion-based, but I still want to give a shot.
A professor acceded to my invitation of writing a reference letter for me. Nevertheless, unlike ...
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Self-Plagiarism in PhD thesis
I am a final year PhD in UK in a scientific discipline and I am writing my thesis. I have already published 2 journal papers and I have submitted 2 more papers for publications. My department does not ...
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How can one differentiate between Dr. (PhD) and Dr. (MD or DO)?
Reading the question posted here left me with a more general question:
Given the professional title and name: Dr. (First Name)(Last Name), is there some way to differentiate between the holder of a ...
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Priority of application materials for admission decision
As I've already saw, many people here are related to admission process. And I want to ask their opinion on what is priority of all stuff from application: what is the most important (letters of ...
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Will one 'C' grade due to health issues ruin my chances of admission into a top grad school?
I am in the third year of my undergraduate degree now, and in the process of applying for Graduate schools and Med schools. I have a burning questions about a creepy "C" in my transcript.
To ...
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How to find a good topic for a PhD research proposal?
In many countries an application for a PhD position includes a written research proposal, so my questions is what are some advises/strategies to come up with a good topic/idea for a PhD research ...
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Can a professor influence the graduate admissions committee if he or she is interested in a particular student?
I've had a promising Skype interview with a great professor from a top-level university in US. Our research interests are closely related and he encouraged me to apply BUT he says that all decisions ...
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What are the advantages and disadvantages to completing a Masters program before applying to a Ph. D program?
I've been considering applying to graduate school of some form or another in Mathematics. During my undergraduate years, I did decently on my undergraduate coursework (mostly A-s, some As, a B) but ...
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Why do students go for a PhD even when chances of getting academic jobs on its completion are slim?
This is in reference to my question: How to do a PhD to equip myself for a job as assistant professor.
I was told in the answer of the above linked question that chances of landing a job as an ...
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Is it necessary to obtain permissions for copying figures from published articles in your proposal/dissertation?
I am currently writing a proposal for my research topic and I want to copy figures from published articles into my proposal document. To put it in perspective, almost all the copied figures are to go ...
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What are the 'right questions' to ask professors at a visit day for prospective graduate students?
I'm in mathematics, though I don't know if the answers to this will be field-dependent. There have been previous good questions that answer what to ask graduate students here and only somewhat ...
user10060
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Why is discrimination based on citizenship allowed in PhD funding in the UK?
This question is specifically aiming at the UK PhD admission system.
Having spent roughly 6 years in the UK - 2 years A-Level and 4 years undergraduate, I am now moving forward into applying for PhD ...
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Dissertation acknowledgements
I'm at the stage in writing my dissertation where most of the substantive aspects are finished and the only tasks left are more or less administrative. However, one thing that I've been avoiding is ...
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Can I publish parts of the Ph.D thesis as a paper in a journal?
I recently finished my PhD thesis which will be published as a book soon.
Now I'm wondering if it's possible or allowed to submit parts to a journal?
Normally the process would be the other way round ...
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PhD application asking what other insitution I am applying to, how to answer?
I understand that schools are trying to gauge the chances of an offer being accepted by a potential candidate. Similarly to what has been described for job applications and other questions that a ...
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Co-authorship for not very involved supervisor
I have now completed my PhD by research.
I received support from my supervisor in the form of advice on my chapters (for which I am indebted to him; we have a very good working relationship).
The ...
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I am able to self-fund a PhD, how can I use this when applying?
Some candidates have the personal or family resources to self-fund their graduate studies, or already know that they are willing to take on debt for them (disregard whether this is a good idea, which ...
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After PhD in Aerospace Engineering, could I be admitted into a top university for a second PhD in Computer Science?
I currently work as an Aerospace Engineer for the Department of Defense for nearly 6 years now, and I have a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from a top-10 university in the United States. I am seriously ...
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Does one need a master's in math before taking a PhD in pure math?
I finished bachelor's in mathematical finance and am nearly finished with master's in mathematical finance (I am already done with thesis), and I plan to pursue a PhD not in mathematical finance but ...
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